Fire protection and suppression apparatus, materials, systems and methods of use thereof

A fire suppression system which produces a condensed pyrotechnically-generated aerosol, comprising at least one of:

• an aerosol-generating material disposed on, or in physical proximity to, a potential fire hazard;
• wherein the aerosol-generating material is capable of being directly actuated solely via direct exposure to one of flame, heat above a predetermined level, combustion products in excess of a predetermined concentration, and combustion products having at least predetermined constituent;
• wherein the aerosol-generating material is in the form of at least one of:
• a flexible sheet impregnated with an aerosol fire suppression substance;
• a rigid sheet, impregnated with an aerosol-generating material;
• a coating of aerosol-generating material applied to a surface on, or in physical proximity to, the potential fire hazard;
• a three-dimensional solid of aerosol-generating material having a shape in the form of at least one of a cylinder, a pyramid, a prism, a rectangular parallelepiped, a sphere, an asymmetrical shell, a combination thereof;
• and one of hollow, solid-through, solid but porous throughout;
• or a combination thereof;
• a pyrotechnic generator, which upon actuation, ignites a body of the aerosol-generating material, the aerosol-generating material capable of being directly actuated solely via direct exposure to one of flame, heat above a predetermined level, combustion products in excess of a predetermined concentration, combustion products having at least predetermined constituent, to produce a pyrotechnically-generated aerosol produces fire suppression agent, the pyrotechnic generator including a combustion chamber having an outlet and at least one convergent-divergent nozzle coupled directly to the outlet of the combustion chamber, the nozzle disposed so as to direct the aerosol fire suppression agent at the potential fire hazard.